By A few months ago, I experienced wrist pain in my left hand.
I couldn’t move the wrist or do anything with the hand, which especially affected typing and gaming.
During this time, I looked for games I can play with one hand. I still needed something to kill my boredom and forget about the wrist pain for a while.
This is a list of games that I enjoyed the most at that time. In every one of these games you can play with one hand using just the mouse.
If you’re also going through a tough time, experiencing a hand injury, or something even worse, you can still enjoy gaming. There are plenty of games you can play with just one hand.
Types of games on this list:
- ARPGs
- City-building & Management sims
- Cozy farming games
- CRPGs
- Base building games
- And more..
Note: All of the games on this list are meant to be played on PC using the mouse.
1. Diablo 4
ARPGs are the perfect type of game to play with one hand. Diablo 4, in particular, can be quite addictive and entertaining to play with one hand.
Unlike most other ARPGs, Diablo 4 is very beginner-friendly. And you can easily enjoy the game’s campaign and endgame without having to touch the keyboard.
Of course, if you want to be competitive, you will need to play with two hands.
Diablo 4 gets updated quite often with new expansions, seasons, and events so it will keep you busy for a very long time.
I enjoyed quite a bit of Diablo 4, but had to stop playing it due to connectivity issues with the servers.
The default movement controls are set to WASD, but you can change it in settings to move your character with the mouse.
2. Path of Exile 1 & 2
Path of Exile 2 is another favorite ARPG of mine. This game is much more sophisticated and advanced than Diablo 4. It’s perfect for experienced ARPG players looking for a challenge.
Path of Exile 2 will leave early access sometime soon, and it will be free-to-play. It already has a massive player base and great reviews for its addictive gameplay mechanics.
Path of Exile 2 is also online, but it has more stable servers across the world. If you want to wait until Path of Exile 2 leaves early access, you can start playing Path of Exile 1 right now.
3. Grim Dawn
Grim Dawn is my favorite ARPG of all time.
It doesn’t have microtransactions, toxic players, constant buffing and nerfing of characters, and, more importantly, you don’t have to connect to the internet to play it.
Grim Dawn is a single-player ARPG with a heavy focus on questing. It has multiple expansions to try out, great endgame activities, and tons of loot to get overpowered.
Another new expansion is also on the way.
4. Frostpunk 2
Frostpunk is one of the best city-management games I’ve played, and the sequel is even better.
In Frostpunk, your goal is to build a city in a freezing, snow-covered desert, while managing your population and resources. It’s a brutally punishing game that forces you to make questionable decisions, like forcing children to work, killing people who get sick, and sometimes letting people freeze to death.
Frostpunk 2 is even bigger and better than the first game. I still haven’t fully completed this game, and I enjoy every time I play it.
5. Tropico 6
Imagine building and managing a small island country where you are the dictator who runs shady deals and bribes elections to your favor. That’s pretty much what Tropico is all about.
This city-building game is so much fun to play. The doesn’t take itself seriously and includes a lot of humor that makes it the perfect game to play when you need to relax and de-stress.
Tropico has tons of expansions, and it can get a bit expensive when you want to try them all. But start small with the base game and see if you enjoy it first.
6. Civilization VI
I’m not a huge fan of the Civilization franchise, and I haven’t played any of the other games, but Civilization VI is hailed as one of the best strategy games available right now.
One thing that made me include this game on this list is seeing the video about that gamer with a Neuralink attachment play the game non-stop.
I mean, if someone can play Civilization VI just with his mind, I think you can easily play it with one hand.
7. Factorio
Factorio is a highly addictive game that features a combination of base-building and resource management gameplay mechanics.
This game is mostly about setting up automations to build an empire with factories that run on autopilot.
At first glance, it sounds boring, and even the graphics look a bit dated. But once you get into this game, you won’t be able to stop.
8. Stardew Valley
I can’t say enough nice things about Stardew Valley. It’s the GOAT of cozy farming games and you can play the PC version entirely using your mouse.
This game features so much content packed into a tiny build. It’s got great music, fun farming missions, mining, fishing, crafting, resource management, and so much more.
That massive amount of content and activities can also be a bad thing at times. I got myself burnt out a couple of times trying to do everything in this game.
Then I decided to focus on one aspect per each playthrough, like only earning money through fishing, or growing a specific type of crop, and I started having so much fun.
Take one day at a time, and you’ll enjoy the heck out of this game.
9. Balatro
Balatro won several awards during the 2024 Game Awards show. It was well received for its addictive and brilliant gameplay system.
To be honest, I haven’t played this game. Mainly because I’m not experienced in card games. But this game was recommended by many people. If you’re into card games, this will be a perfect game to play with one hand.
10. Sims 4
Another game that I haven’t played much, but my wife seems to love it, and she just won’t shut up about it. So this one is for the lady gamers.
In Sims 4, you basically become a god and control the lives of the “Sims” you create. You get to dress them up, take them to jobs, make them cook dinner, and even make babies.
You can also build your dream house, host parties, and start businesses.
My wife seems to enjoy coming up with new ways to make money in Sims 4, like marrying random people, stealing their money, and divorcing them. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, right?
11. Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 needs no introduction. It won so many awards, and critics raved about it for years; they still do.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a CRPG that features some of the best visuals, cinematics, and dialogue you’ll ever see in a CRPG. This game can be tough to get into at first. And the gameplay is slow.
But if you enjoy taking carefully calculated actions, scanning areas for clues, building relationships with followers, and following through multiple choice-based storylines, this game is made just for you.
12. Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors is a tiny, pixel graphics game that features endless, bullet-hell style gameplay.
Roguelike games like Vampire Survivors are very easy to play, especially with one hand. All you have to do is move your character around, choose the right upgrades, and survive. The game will do all the work for you.
Vampire Survivors is actually free to play on mobile, and it’s easy to play with one hand. It’s a highly addictive game and you can play it for hours without getting bored.
Wrapping Up
Most games on Android and iOS can also be played with one hand. If you’re a fan of mobile games, you can try some of those games too.
Start by checking out my best single-player mobile games list. There are some great one-handed games in that list.
